Sanctuary
by LeanaVine
Summary: Wade wants Mark to start dating, but Mark isn't interested. After a mediocre date, Mark comes home and has an encounter with an extra terrestrial. He has no idea what to do, but for some reason, he's compelled to keep this being safe. (RPF. Eventual Mark/OC.)
1. Bright Light

**A/N:** Okay, so this is my first actual Markiplier fanfiction. Some of you may be familiar with my pathetic fan letters to him... Anyway, I hope that the personalities are alright. If not, please give me a heads up. I've already got the next six chapters of this written up, so let me know if/when you want more!

Please leave a review, and I'll put you on the wall of fame! I'll try to keep track as much as possible. If I miss your name, please tell me, and I'll take care of it right away, because I appreciate and love all of my readers.

As always, I do not share any views expressed by any characters in this story. And I own nothing in this story, except for Lexie and her species.

Okay, please read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

It had been a long day, and an even longer night, for Mark Fischbach. After his daily bouts of recording and editing videos for his YouTube channel, he'd gone out for drinks with a girl named Amy. It had all been arranged by his friend, Wade Barnes, who had known Amy through his wife, Molly.

Mark and Wade had been recording a Let's Play of _7 Days to Die_. When they finished up, the two continued talking through Skype. Wade told Mark about Amy, and advised him, "You need to text her, ask her out for a good time. You've been alone for too long." Mark knew that Wade was trying to help him, but Mark didn't want help. He had been perfectly content making videos day in and day out.

Sure, sometimes Mark got lonely - anyone would if they were single for as long as he'd been. Dating was just too complicated, and Mark didn't really have time to make room for a significant other in his life. He was married to his job, and the community his YouTube channel had started.

Still, Mark set up the date with Amy, and they went to a bar that wasn't too crazy. The date only lasted a couple hours, which relieved Mark. Amy was a nice person, but Mark just wasn't looking for a girlfriend at the moment. She seemed a little disappointed when the date ended so quickly, but Mark admitted to being exhausted and having to get up early the next day.

Mark knew that Wade would be sitting up waiting to hear how his date had gone, but Mark just wasn't in the mood to discuss it. All he wanted to do was take a shower and go to bed. He was so tired that he had almost fallen asleep in the shower, slumped against the wall for almost an hour under the hot spray of water.

After that, it was into a clean shirt and pair of boxers, and Mark shuffled to his bedroom. Suddenly, there was a strange sound outside. It almost sounded like a train. Then there was a bright, quick flash of light that nearly knocked Mark back in shock. Then everything outside fell into silence once more.

Hesitantly, Mark crept over to his window and peeked outside. He gasped when he saw what looked like a young woman laying in the barren street. It was very late, so only a handful of cars had driven by outside since Mark had gotten home. Some of the cars parked on the sides of the street were flashing their lights and beeping loudly as their alarms sounded.

Before Mark realized what was happening, he was sprinting down the hallway and nearly flying down the stairs. He was out the front doors a few seconds later, still in his boxers and not wearing any shoes. He ran down the sidewalk and turned the corner to his side of the building, and there she was.

The woman was laying face-down in the road, her long hair sprawled around her. Mark ran to her side and shook her lightly. It was dark, but Mark didn't see or feel any blood anywhere. He guessed she had been hit by a car, and the car had sped off. She wasn't waking up, but from what Mark could tell, she was breathing shallowly. No blood stained her white jumpsuit, so he assumed she wasn't horribly injured.

Not sure of what else to do, Mark picked the woman up in his arms and ran back inside the building. Now that he was indoors, he could see her more clearly. She had light green skin, and green hair. Was this some sort of cosplay? Mark didn't have time to question it. He quickly brought the woman into his apartment and laid her on his couch.

Mark ran to his bedroom and grabbed his phone off of his nightstand, shaking hands dialing 911. As the phone dialed, Mark nervously ran a hand through his still-wet hair. Finally, the 911 operator picked up, and Mark sputtered his words, requesting an ambulance. He started to head back to the living room, telling the operator, "I-I don't know what happened. I found a young woman in the street, she's barely breath-"

He froze upon reentering his living room. The woman wasn't on his couch. Mark pulled the phone away from his ear, calling out, "Hello?" He was suddenly frightened, and hurried to his front door. Mark checked the hallway for the mystery girl, but she was nowhere to be found. He then remembered the operator on the phone. "Sorry, I don't know where she went. I left her on my couch, but she's gone. I'll call you back."

Mark hung up the phone, placing it on his coffee table. "Hello?" he called out again. Scared out of his mind, Mark quietly made his way to the hallway leading back to his bedroom, and looked around the corner. The hallway was empty, but the light in his bedroom was flickering. He hadn't turned the light on. Nervously, he swallowed, and walked that way.

When he pushed his bedroom door open all the way, there stood the strange woman, playing with his light switch. She simply stared at the switch as she flicked it up and down with her index finger. Mark could only watch her, completely at a loss for words. He studied her face now that she was awake. This girl had slightly elongated, pointed ears, and dark pink irises.

Mark cleared his throat, and her eyes darted up to look at him. "Uh...are you okay?" he mumbled. The woman continued to stare into his eyes, and it gave Mark chills. Being this close to her, he began to notice just how impressive her makeup was. It looked real, as if her skin was actually green...and her ears were actually pointed... He couldn't see a seam in her ears where she had attached the ear prosthetics.

Slowly, Mark backed away from here. She flicked the light off and kept it that way, and Mark's blood ran cold. She stepped out of his bedroom door, silently creeping towards him. Mark was speechless, and backed into the wall, unsure of what to do. The woman invaded his comfort zone, then stared at his torso, and began to poke him in various places like a curious child.

Mark's heart rate began to even out once more when he realized this woman wasn't going to hurt him. Something must have happened to her. She seemed so confused and cut off from the world. Was she in shock from something? Mark felt a need to help her, let her know that she was safe. She didn't look like she needed medical attention, but something was definitely wrong with her.

"Do you have a name?" he whispered. The girl stopped touching him, and looked up at him. She was quite a bit shorter than him, but looked like she could be around his age. Her eyes were so big and bright. She had a tiny nose, almost like something out of a Disney movie. She was pretty.

Mark was taken out of his thoughts when a small slit formed in the center of the woman's forehead. He could barely see it in the dark, but then it split open, revealing a third eye, just as pink as her others. The scream he released was unlike any sound he'd ever made before. She shrieked in return before running into his kitchen and hiding.

It took a few minutes for Mark to catch his breath. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Without moving, Mark called in the direction of the kitchen, "What do you want?"

He was surprised when she echoed him with, "What do you want?" Her voice was soft and sweet, which contradicted how fucking scary she was.

Mark was flabbergasted for a second, then yelled back, "I want you to leave!"

"I want you to leave!"

What was this, a game? Somehow, Mark was able to collect himself, and walked into the kitchen to find the woman hunkered down behind his breakfast island. She stared at him with all three eyes wide, and he choked momentarily, not completely sure what to do about his situation.

It still didn't seem like she was going to attack him, so Mark slowly waved a hand. He was about to speak, but noticed that her top eye was watching his hand. She then waved back at him, looking a little confused. That's when Mark understood. This third eye was some sort of translation tool. He had seen similar things in games he'd played in the past.

He pointed to himself, then said, "I'm Mark." She continued to stare at him, so he repeated, "I'm Mark."

She mirrored him, pointing to herself and saying, "I'm Mark."

Mark smiled at that, then shook his head. "No, no." He put a hand on his chest. "Mark." Then he poked her in the collar, hoping she would say her name.

"Mark."

He shook his head, trying again. Mark put both hands on his chest, and repeated, "Mark." He then pointed at her.

She continued to stare at him, then said something that didn't sound like English. "Trelexiblch."

That must've been her name, Mark assumed. Well, he had no idea how to pronounce that, but he had thought he heard Lexie somewhere in there. He pointed to her again, and asked, "Lexie?"

She stared at him for a moment, then put a hand to her own chest. "Lexie." Mark laughed, but quickly waved his happiness away. He pointed to himself once more. She said, "Mark." He nodded, then pointed to her. "Lexie."

Mark smiled. "Nice to meet you, Lexie."

Lexie was silent for a moment, then said, "Nice to meet Mark."


	2. Breakfast

**A/N:** I was planning on waiting, but I decided I'll go ahead and upload this chapter. Hopefully, you guys like this.

* * *

Mark was exhausted, and had somehow been able to figure out that Lexie was, too. He offered to give her his bed, but she only stared at it in confusion. "How do you sleep?" he asked her.

Lexie looked at him, then bent over to do a handstand. Mark just watched curiously as Lexie bent down on her arms, then used them to jump and hook her feet onto Mark's ceiling fan. They stared at each other, then Mark scratched the back of his head. "Well, okay then." He was a little surprised that his fan didn't rip out of the ceiling at her weight, but she was strangely light, as if her bones were filled with helium.

It was hard to sleep with Lexie hanging from his ceiling like a bat. Mark mostly watched her sleep, her arms dangling down to the floor. He was surprised at how human-like she was - aside from the pointed ears, green skin, and occasional third eye. He had never imagined aliens to have five fingers on each hand and long, silky hair. He really couldn't believe anything that had happened that night. Mark was mostly in shock from it all.

When Mark woke up in the morning, Lexie was standing at the foot of his bed, watching him. He half screamed, half gasped, trying not to freak out. Her third eye watched his face, and he shuddered. "Please, don't do that," he murmured. She cocked her head to the side, so he elaborated. "Don't watch me sleep, Lexie."

She nodded, then said, "Yes, Mark." He was still shocked that she was able to communicate, but he tried not to think about it too much. He didn't want to think about any of this too much.

Mark sat on the edge of his bed, stretching a little with a grunt. "I'm going to make breakfast. Do you want anything?" He paused, then studied her curiously. "What exactly do you eat, Lexie?" When she didn't answer, he stood with a sigh and made his way to the kitchen. "We'll figure something out."

After putting a bagel in the toaster oven for himself, he turned to Lexie, who was watching him with all three eyes. That was really going to take some getting used to. He cleared his throat, then said, "Okay, let's figure out what you can eat." Hopefully, this would end well.

Lexie didn't seem to like any fruit that Mark offered her, and she was puzzled when he handed over half of his bagel. She took a small nibble of the bread, then sneered, placing it on the counter. Mark couldn't help but smile. Next, he gave her some water, which she chugged quickly. "So, water is good," he said aloud, making a mental note.

Looking at the now empty glass she held, Lexie asked, "Water?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, water. It's what keeps humans alive. We all need it." He took her glass over to the sink and refilled it for her. "You probably call it something different." Lexie eagerly took the glass back, drinking down half. It was fascinating to find another being that consumed water. This obviously meant that there was water in other parts of the universe.

He still wasn't sure what he could feed her. As he dug through his kitchen drawers, he found a chocolate bar. Mark quirked his lips, wondering if he could give this to Lexie. Before he could even ask, she ripped it out of his hands, smelling the wrapper. Lexie tore off the plastic, then smelled the chocolate.

She then did something surprising. Lexie smiled, for the first time since Mark had found her the night before. Taking a bite of the candy, she made a purr-like noise, and smiled up at Mark. With her mouth full of chocolate, she pointed to the food questioningly.

Mark was still a little surprised at how she had reacted to the candy, but finally stuttered out, "Uh, that's chocolate. It's candy." Lexie munched on the candy happily, purring quietly in her throat. Mark couldn't help but chuckle. It was cute. "I can go out and get you more, if you want. I don't usually keep much chocolate in the house."

A chiming sound came from the living room, and Mark walked in to see that Wade was calling to Facetime. "Shiiiiit," he grumbled. He turned, and froze. Lexie was standing there, her skin slowly turning a pale, human tone. The color spread under her skin like food coloring in water. The same thing happened with her hair, a dark brown color spreading from the roots of her hair to the ends, only leaving a few streaks green. The points on her ears softened so they weren't as pronounced, but her eyes stayed pink. Her third eye became hidden like it'd been when Mark first found her.

She actually looked...human.

Mark swallowed, wanting to say something to her, but there was no time. He faced her as he answered Wade's call, so she wouldn't be in the background. "Hey Wade," he said, hoping his nervousness wasn't evident in his voice.

"Hey, how did things go with Amy? I was hoping you'd call me when you got home."

Mark laughed once, then coughed. "Uh, things went okay, I guess. She seemed nice."

"You think you guys'll go on another date?"

Then Lexie snatched the phone away, looking at Wade's face on the screen with curiosity. Mark actually yelped, and tried to take the phone back, but Lexie pulled it out of his reach.

"Who is that?" Wade squeaked. Obviously, he was surprised.

"No one!" Mark replied worriedly. He finally managed to get the phone away from Lexie. "She's no one!"

"I thought you went out with Amy last night. You went home with someone else?" Wade actually sounded a little hurt or betrayed.

Mark sighed, sitting down on his couch. "Wade, I promise that if I could explain, I would. I know what you're probably thinking, but it's nothing like that." He looked up at Lexie, who was just watching him. "Honestly, I don't really know what this is."

Lexie sat down next to Mark on the couch, and he sighed, not too sure what he should do. She looked at Wade on Mark's phone, then at Mark. "Mark?" she asked.

He glanced at her, then pointed at the phone. "This is Wade, my friend." She stared at the phone, so he whispered, "Say hi."

"Hi Wade."

Wade awkwardly said, "Hi. Umm, who are you?"

"Lexie," she replied. She looked to Mark, and said, "Friend of Mark."

Wade didn't stay on the phone much longer after that. He and Mark arranged to Skype later and play another session of _7 Days to Die_. Mark rubbed his face, his anxiety levels through the roof. He couldn't imagine what Wade must think of him, but at least he still wanted to hang out later.

He felt a hand on his head, and looked up. Lexie was watching him, still looking like a human, but her third eye exposed again. "Mark is...upset?" she asked.

Mark looked at her, dumbfounded. "How do you know that?"

Lexie smiled at him. "I am...learning?"

Mark nodded. "Yes, you are."


	3. Safe

Mark could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He and Lexie were standing in the candy isle at a gas station close to his house. She was picking up different candy bars and sniffing them. He glanced back to the front counter to see the woman standing there giving them a dirty look. Mark laughed nervously, picking up handfuls of chocolate. "Here, I'll get you these. I'm sure you'll like these."

He knew that it could end up being catastrophic to take Lexie out of the house, but he didn't want to leave her alone in his apartment. Lexie was very curious, and he had mental images of her breaking something or putting things in his microwave. He felt a little easier knowing that he could keep an eye on her.

Mark could tell that Lexie was uncomfortable riding in his car. She fidgeted a lot, her hands gripping the edges of her seat. He wasn't even driving that fast. "Lexie, are you okay?"

She looked at him curiously. "Okay?"

"Umm," he fake smiled, and pointed to his face, "okay?"

Lexie shook her head. "Not okay."

Mark pulled the car to the side of the road, concerned for his alien friend. He pointed to his forehead, which was the signal that he wanted her to use her third eye. It was a symbol they had sorted out earlier. When Lexie revealed her third eye, Mark told her, "I know that riding in a car is different from what you're used to, but I promise you're safe."

Lexie tilted her head to the side. "Safe?"

Mark nodded. "Yes, safe." He tried to think of how he could demonstrate 'safe.' He unbuckled his seat belt, reaching over and hold Lexie's hand. "Safe," he repeated. "You are protected, not in danger."

Even after all that had happened, he was still surprised when Lexie understood him. She visibly relaxed, and placed her other hand on top of his. "Safe..."

Mark smiled at her and nodded. He re-buckled his seat belt and continued driving. Lexie still looked a little nervous, but not like she was panicking. He still had no idea what he was going to do with her, how this was going to work. Mark wasn't even sure why Lexie was here, but he knew that if she had wanted to attack him, she would've done so already.

Back at his apartment, Mark felt better. Lexie sat quietly in the kitchen, munching her chocolate. Mark needed to at least address his fans and explain to them why he hadn't uploaded anything yet that day. Since Lexie was distracted, he went into his room and pulled out his camera. Mark began recording a short video, saying that he was very sick, and not to worry, that he would be back to editing videos the next day, even though he wasn't sure if that was true.

After editing the video, Mark uploaded it to YouTube, then posted links to Facebook and Twitter. He sighed, looking at the time. It'd almost been an hour since he'd checked on Lexie, so he fast walked out to the living room. She was still sitting there, patiently waiting for him to return.

Mark thought to himself for a second, then jogged to his bedroom. After some digging, he found an old dictionary from college. He brought it back out to Lexie and pointed to his forehead. She bared her third eye, and he handed her the book. "Read this," he told her. This was his best bet for her to learn English. It would take too long for him to teach her everything, and he wasn't going to keep hiding with her in his apartment.

It was unsettling to stick around while Lexie studied the dictionary. Her third eye read over the pages, but her other eyes looked up at Mark. He laughed nervously, then told her, "I'm gonna go make a call. I'll be right back." When she nodded at him, he went back to his bedroom, taking a deep breath. Lexie at least looked like a human now, but he couldn't get past her third eye. Every time he saw it, it reminded him just how bizarre his situation was.

* * *

"So tell me," Wade questioned, "what was with the girl in your apartment this morning?"

Mark sighed, rubbing his temple. Even through the phone, Mark could hear the tension in Wade's voice. "Listen, it's not what you think. I promise that she's just a friend." Could Mark even call Lexie his friend? He guessed 'friend' was better than 'alien I found in the street.'

"So then what was she doing in your apartment this morning?"

"She just needed a place to stay the night, okay? She dropped by last night after I got home and I let her stay over. That's it." Mark was a little surprised that he was able to muster up a lie so quickly. He usually never lied, especially not to Wade.

"Look Mark, I don't care if you don't like Amy. I just want you to have _someone_ ; I don't care who it is. I won't tell Molly about Lexie."

Apparently, Mark was a horrible liar. "Wade, really, it's not like that. I don't know how long she'll be staying with me, but she's just a friend, I swear." He sighed. "Are we still Skyping later?"

"Is she going to be there?"

Mark chuckled. "Jeez, you talk about it like I'm having an affair, Wade. Yeah, Lexie's gonna be here. Is that okay?"

"Sure, I guess. It's just weird, you having a girl around."

Mark groaned. "I swear it's not like that!"

* * *

When he came back out into the living room, Mark saw Lexie still reading through the dictionary. Her eyes turned to him, except for her third eye, which continued to scan the pages. She then closed the book and stood. Lexie gave a little wave, then said, "Hello."

Mark smiled at her. "Hello. Did you learn a lot?"

Lexie nodded. "Our cultures have similarities."

Mark's eyes widened. She was actually talking. "Wow, you can speak." He laughed. "Okay, umm, where are you from, Lexie?"

Lexie sat back on the couch, and Mark sat next to her. Her third eye went away, and Mark felt a little more comfortable. "My home planet is in a different galaxy than the one we currently reside in. We call it Xuertiquel. It is a very large planet."

"So what are you doing here?" Mark was livid that he was actually having an intelligent conversation with a being from another galaxy.

Lexie pointed to her forehead, where her third eye typically was. "I am a scout, a translator. There are others like me. We are sent in to learn your ways, because we can use our third eye to understand your languages."

Mark swallowed. "You mean, there are others here on Earth?" She nodded. "What do your people want?"

"That is classified. A secret." When Mark looked worried, Lexie told him, "I am not even fully sure for my reasons being here. I am sent to gather information, nothing more."

"When will they come back for you?" he asked quietly.

Lexie looked to his window. "When my job is done."


	4. Pretty

Mark's stomach churned as he grabbed his keys. He turned to Lexie, who was in the kitchen getting a drink of water. "C'mon, I've gotta go to the office, and I'm not leaving you here."

Lexie sat her glass down on the counter, then trotted over to him. "What is the office?"

Mark opened the door for her. "It's where I work. I need to get something done, get my head straight, before I game with Wade tonight."

Lexie seemed slightly more relaxed riding in Mark's car this time. She looked out the windows at everything with curiosity. Mark kept looking away from the road just to watch her. He couldn't help but be enamored with her. Mark tried to tell himself it was because she was an alien, and he tried to ignore the thoughts that echoed how beautiful she was. 'She's an alien,' he thought to himself.

When he parked the car, Mark glanced at Lexie. She stared up at the building in wonder. Mark got out of the car, then opened Lexie's door for her. She had already learned how to unbuckle her seat belt, and Mark was a little relieved that he wouldn't have to reach around her.

He held out a hand for her, and she took it, stepping out of the car. Mark looked over what she was wearing and sighed. "We'll have to stop somewhere after work and get you some clothes." Hopefully no one would ask about the skin-tight, long sleeved, white shirt and white leggings she was wearing. He cursed himself for forgetting to get her a pair of shoes for her bare feet.

Mark scratched the back of his head. "Y'know what, let's just go get you clothes now. There's a place not too far from here." He idled a hand for her to step back into the car, then got back in the driver's side.

* * *

Mark had never shopped for women's clothing before. Sure, he'd been with his mom and his ex when they were shopping, but his only job was to hold shopping bags or give his opinions of the outfits they tried on. He wasn't even sure what size Lexie would be. She was fairly tiny and petite, so he picked out a few small shirts and two pairs of size 6 pants, handing them to her. "Go try these on," he told her.

Lexie simply stared at him, then looked down at the clothes. Mark swallowed the lump in his throat. "Do you know how to get dressed?" She shook her head, so Mark let out a deep breath. "Okay, wait here."

He approached a saleswoman at the front desk and pulled her aside. "Listen," he whispered to her, "my friend over there, she hasn't done this in a very long time. I'd like you to help her, and answer an questions she has, okay?" He slipped her a few twenties, those being the biggest bills he liked to carry. "We plan on starting a new wardrobe for her, so make sure you help her find quite a few outfits, okay?"

The woman seemed more than happy to help Lexie try on clothes. She even pulled her over to the delicates department and helped her pick out some undergarments. Mark tried not to watch and give Lexie her privacy. He was really curious to see how Lexie would look in normal people's clothes.

It didn't take long - or, at least, it didn't feel like long - and Lexie was walking over to Mark, a few shopping bags in tow. She wore a light pink, sleeveless top with a sheer that flowed around her, and white shorts. Mark tried not to chuckle when Lexie wobbled on the wedge heels she was wearing.

The clothes cost a fortune, but it was worth it. Lexie looked great. It almost made Mark forget that she came from another galaxy. He put her shopping bags in the trunk, then helped her into the car. He struggled not to laugh as she all but fell into her seat. It would take her a while to get used to her shoes, he guessed.

Mark felt much more confident when he rolled back up to the building where he recorded videos. If he ran into any other gamers, it wouldn't be so awkward to introduce them to Lexie. She hobbled next to him, but froze when they reached the front doors. Mark looked over at her, seeing the uncertainty on her face. He remembered feeling that way his first day here.

Remembering his tactic from earlier, he reached over and took her tiny hand in his. She looked up at him, and he smiled at her. "Safe, remember?"

Lexie looked at their hands, and squeezed them together. "Safe, is good..." She looked back up at him again, and Mark felt like she was the only other person in the world. Those dark pink eyes had a way of captivating him in ways they never should. Mark continued to hold her hand as they walked into the building together, and over to the elevator.

When the doors opened, Danny and Arin stood there, talking about something, but paused when they saw Mark holding hands with a beautiful girl. Mark quickly released Lexie's hand, but it was too late - the other men had already seen. Arin smirked at Mark, and Danny flashed a smile at Lexie, pushing back his long hair.

"Mark, who's your friend?" Danny asked, though he continued to look at Lexie. "I've never seen her around before."

Mark swallowed, feeling his palms starting to sweat. "This is Lexie. Lexie, these are the Game Grumps, Arin and Danny."

Lexie looked confused. "What is a Game Grump?"

Danny and Arin both chuckled. "It's our YouTube channel," Arin told her. "So hey, bring her up here to show her around the studio?" he asked Mark.

With a nod, Mark said, "Yeah, she's in town for a while and I promised to show her the office."

Danny glanced between them and grinned. "Alright, well we'll see you around, Mark." And with that, the Game Grumps left.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief, hitting the button so the elevator would return. The doors opened with a ding, and Mark stepped inside. "That could've been a disaster." He turned, and Lexie was examining the elevator from the outside. Mark held out a hand to her. "It's safe, I promise."

Lexie hesitated, then took his hand, stepping in beside him. Mark tapped the button for their floor, and his phone vibrated in his pocket as the doors closed. As he pulled it out, the elevator began to move, and he felt Lexie grip his arm with both hands. He smiled at her worried expression. "It's okay," he reminded her.

Mark unlocked his phone, and up popped a text from Danny. He held his breath as he opened the message.

 **She's pretty ;)**

Mark groaned, sliding the phone back into his pocket and running his free hand through his hair. He then looked down at Lexie, who was still so timid, and chuckled. She was pretty, even when she looked terrified.


	5. Protector

Lexie made herself comfortable on one of the sofas in the recording studio while Mark got set up. He turned to her and cleared his throat. "Now, Lexie." She looked up at him, still twiddling with the sheer of her shirt. "While I'm recording, you're going to have to stay off of camera, and be quiet." He didn't want any of his fans to get the wrong idea if she showed up in his videos.

She simply nodded, sitting patiently. Mark felt a little guilty, wondering if Lexie could feel boredom. He wasn't sure how he was going to be able to record with her in the room. It made him nervous. He decided his best option would be to play an indie horror game, seeing as those usually made him nervous anyway, and maybe his audience wouldn't pick up on his strange mood.

He started his recording the same as always: he tested the mic levels, making sure they were at the right place, and adjusted his camera. After playing back that test recording to make sure everything was in order, he addressed his audience like he always did. "Hello everybody. I apologize for the delay, but I'm feeling better, so let's play something that will terrify me to my core!"

Mark hadn't even noticed Lexie beside him until she said, "Mark?"

He nearly jumped out of his chair, clutching his chest as he stared at her. "Wh-what Lexie? Fuck, you scared me."

"Whom are you speaking with?" she asked, looking into his camera, and then at the game pulled up on his screen.

Mark sighed. "I probably should've explained earlier. I'm making a recording for my channel. A recording is just...a thing that captures what I say, and stores it in the computer so I can publish it later." Lexie looked incredibly confused, so Mark shook his head. "I'm working, so I need you to stay over there like you promised," he informed her, pointing her back to the couch she had been on.

When Lexie had returned to her seat, Mark rubbed his temples, taking a deep breath. His anxiety levels were through the roof, but he reminded himself that it was going to be okay. Lexie understood now that she had to stay seated - or, at least, he hoped she did.

Mark repeated his intro, then started into the game. It reminded him of a pixelated version of Slender. His character was wandering around in the woods, and Mark wasn't even too sure what he was supposed to be looking for. The game hadn't opened with a story or given him a motive. It was a simple 'WASD to move' type game. A warning appeared at the bottom of the screen that said 'hold shift to run.'

Of course, this worried Mark. "See, it always freaks me out when the game says that," he told the camera. "Because that's obviously warning me that something is coming and I'll need to run so-AHHH!" Mark screamed, nearly flipping his keyboard when some skin-and-bones creature hobbled out of the dark towards him. He quickly turned his character and started to sprint, still cursing loudly.

Before Mark understood what was going on, there was a loud crash, and he was on the ground, his chair tipped over next to him. Lexie was on top of him, glaring at the computer. It actually looked like her eyes might have been...glowing. She was growling in her throat, her back arched up like a cat, her body shielding Mark from the evils of the computer.

"Lexie?" Mark stuttered out. She really looked scary like this, her mouth in a tight line and her nostrils flared. Slowly, he reached up and touched her shoulder. "Lexie, it's okay, it's just a game."

She looked down at him, her expression still hostile, but softened. "A game?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, see? I'm fine. Okay," he reaffirmed, giving a fake smile. He idled to the computer. "It's just a computer game, it can't hurt me."

Lexie stared at the computer, then looked at Mark in confusion. Anything was better than her predatory stare. "You were...afraid."

He couldn't help but smile at her. "That's what makes it fun. I like playing games that scare me. It's fun, you see?"

After convincing Lexie that he was okay, she returned to her place on the couch. Mark sat his chair up straight, sitting down again. On the screen flashed words in red: You Are Dead. He cursed to himself quietly, wondering if he could use any of the footage from before Lexie tackled him.

He exited the game, pulling up the folder that stored his recordings, and started the newest one. Mark fast forwarded through majority of the footage, letting it play through at normal speed when the monster attacked. Mark was screaming and cursing like normal, and in a flash, Lexie took him to the ground. Mark backed up the footage and slowed it down in order to watch it better.

Lexie dove at him, her arms outstretched and wrapping around him. The whole time, her eyes bore into the screen, flashing red. Her face was contorted in a way that Mark never imagined it could be. Her mouth was open wide, showing sharp teeth, and he assumed she was hissing. Lexie looked feril, like a wild cat of some sort. He looked over at the sweet girl sitting on the couch, hardly able to believe that she was the same person in the video.

Mark realized that Lexie only took action to protect him from the monster in the game, but it still left him on edge. His recording ended up shorter than he had anticipated. There wasn't even an outro, just Mark's ending music and annotations. It was hard to focus for anything else. All Mark could think about was that terrifying expression burned into the lense of the camera.

What if someone ever pulled a prank and jumped out of somewhere and scared him? Would Lexie rip their throat out? The thought made Mark cringe. He was grateful that Danny or Arin hadn't jostled him on their way out of the building. He didn't want to imagine Lexie taking one of them to the ground and tearing them apart.

He took a break in the middle of editing, something he rarely did, and walked over to join Lexie on the couch. She just stared at him, waiting for him to speak. Mark wasn't really sure how to word his next sentence, so he just said, "Lexie, don't ever do that again."

Lexie actually looked embarrassed. "I thought you were in danger."

Mark shook his head. "I'm rarely in danger, so I need you to promise you won't ever react that way again."

"Promise?"

With a nod, Mark explained, "Yes, promise. How do I explain it..." He thought for a second, then put out his pinky. "You can never attack anyone or anything like that ever again."

Lexie hesitantly put up her pinky to mirror Mark, and he wrapped his pinky around hers. "What if you are in danger?"

"I'll manage on my own."

She looked at their pinkies in silence, obviously unsure of this agreement. Reluctantly, she said, "I promise, Mark."


End file.
